Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!news.mixmin.net!feeds.phibee-telecom.net!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed3.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.017 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.97; '*S*': 0.00; 'programmer': 0.03; 'subject:Python': 0.06; 'explicit': 0.07; 'incompatible': 0.07; 'advance': 0.07; 'correspond': 0.09; 'mixed': 0.09; 'yeah,': 0.09; 'cc:addr:python-list': 0.11; "'to": 0.16; 'cc:name:python list': 0.16; 'otoh,': 0.16; 'subject:Java': 0.16; 'things.': 0.19; 'programming': 0.22; 'saying': 0.22; 'cc:addr:python.org': 0.22; '(or': 0.24; 'cc:2**0': 0.24; 'academic': 0.26; 'header:In-Reply- To:1': 0.27; 'appear': 0.29; 'statement': 0.30; 'message- id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.30; 'url:wiki': 0.31; 'languages:': 0.31; 'so-called': 0.31; 'universal': 0.31; 'url:wikipedia': 0.31; 'languages': 0.32; 'supposed': 0.32; 'ago': 0.33; 'computer.': 0.33; 'subject: (': 0.35; 'objects': 0.35; 'but': 0.35; 'received:google.com': 0.35; 'there': 0.35; 'culture': 0.36; 'reflect': 0.36; "didn't": 0.36; 'url:org': 0.36; 'anything': 0.39; 'functional': 0.39; 'how': 0.40; 'skip:u 10': 0.60; 'no.': 0.61; 'world.': 0.61; "you're": 0.61; 'such': 0.63; 'field': 0.63; 'our': 0.64; 'more': 0.64; 'to:addr:gmail.com': 0.65; 'world': 0.66; 'to,': 0.72; 'hand': 0.80; 'everywhere.': 0.84; 'years!': 0.84; 'washington': 0.93 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :cc:content-type; bh=MfgLTvo3I9JOpVJoC9XjupuBURBxQBbB2ClkSs/l2qg=; b=hXR7LX9vJq5BJieYyv1AEsGidlmb5rPNyM1Kskoojq6xEu+vR2IJLhK165eHO2zrAo xLknu6s5jBNAh4BnHwqwfiNcOSi+wDVqhKWV7cmN5hf+TJ7TiMXCnTIpFY02zXD830dr uYpzYv1fLN2SMUWnYHOpETj0A/vMv1wpq4K3bz03I7FHca0/gPeWJ31g3K6Sg/2eEHvc zav2K4kwOhvtHh5SRf0D3EW/vYJ3n6tOTxD0gr4rhqOyn0YCdNPL7styYl6LYItUKSxT mKYHGzsMJDH+9/xYyZhWe4xiHCbQKd95BsDeUKzUPQ9DfwfiySGGzi4FQNcr8H731eqh A93Q== MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Received: by 10.194.2.108 with SMTP id 12mr524920wjt.64.1381868787236; Tue, 15 Oct 2013 13:26:27 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: References: Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 13:26:27 -0700 Subject: Re: Python was designed (was Re: Multi-threading in Python vs Java) From: Mark Janssen To: rusi Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Cc: Python List X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 42 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1381868788 news.xs4all.nl 15888 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:59993 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:56859 > Objects in programming languages (or 'values' if one is more functional programming oriented) correspond to things in the world. One of the things you're saying there is that "values correspond to things in the world". But you will not get agreement in computer science on that anymore than saying "numbers correspond to things in the world" -- they are abstractions that are not supposed to correspond to things. (Objects, OTOH, were intended to, so your statement has mixed truthiness.) > Types on the other hand correspond to our classifications and so are things in our minds. That is not how a C programmer views it. They have explicit "typedef"s that make it a thing for the computer. > So for the world 'to settle' on a single universal type system is about as nonsensical and self contradictory as you and I having the same thoughts. Yes, well clearly we are not "having the same thoughts", yet the purpose of the academic establishment is to pin down such terminology and not have these sloppy understandings everywhere. You dig? > To see how completely nonsensical a classification system of a so-called alien culture is, please read: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_Emporium_of_Benevolent_Knowledge > > And then reflect that the passage is implying that CONVERSELY our natural/obvious/FACTual classifications would appear similarly nonsensical to them. > > The same in the world of programming languages: No. There is one world in which the computer is well-defined. All others are suspect. > Here's an APL session > $ ./apl > a perfectly good (and for many of us old-timers a very beautiful) type system > but completely incompatible with anything designed in the last 40 years! Yeah, well 40 years ago they didn't have parsers. The purpose of having a field of computer science worthy of the name, is to advance the science not let this riff-raff dominate the practice. -- MarkJ Tacoma, Washington